How to build a competitive Pokémon VGC team, step by step
A step-by-step guide to your first competitive Pokémon VGC team: start from the meta, cover your weaknesses, plan speed, test damage and export it.
VGC is the format of the official Pokémon tournaments: double battles where you bring six Pokémon and choose four for each game. This guide takes you from an empty team to one you can play, with the free tools on PokemonBuilder.
What is VGC, and which format should you build for?
VGC (Video Game Championships) is the format of the official Pokémon tournaments: double battles at level 50, where each player brings six Pokémon and picks four for every game. Each season is played under a regulation, a ruleset that says which Pokémon and items are allowed.
Meta & usage opens on the current VGC regulation, so the numbers you see there are already for the format you are building for. The Smogon singles tiers, such as OU, are in the same format menu if you play those instead.
Where do you start a team?
Start from two or three Pokémon that work well together, not from six favorites. Best teams shows the teams that finished on top of recent tournaments, the Pokémon they use most and the pairs that keep coming back; any of those pairs is a tested starting point.
Avoid simply taking the six most used Pokémon: popularity tells you what is strong, not what works together. Pick a core, then build around it.
See the best teams · Tournament teams
How do you cover your team's weaknesses?
Add your core to the team builder and fill the open slots. The analysis updates with every Pokémon you add: which types your team is weak to, which it resists, and which threats from the current meta it struggles against.
A useful rule: if three or more of your Pokémon share a weakness, change one of them or add a Pokémon that resists that type. The type chart shows every matchup when you need to check one.
Open the team builder · Type chart
Why does speed matter so much in doubles?
In doubles, moving first often decides the game, so most teams have a plan for speed: Tailwind doubles your side's Speed, Trick Room makes the slowest Pokémon move first, and moves like Icy Wind lower the opponents' Speed.
Speed tiers ranks the level 50 Speed of every Pokémon with no EVs, 252 EVs, a +Speed nature or a Choice Scarf. Use it to decide whether your team wants to be fast or slow, and which Pokémon your attackers need to outspeed; under Tailwind, double the number.
How do you test your key matchups?
Open the damage calculator and check the matchups that worry you: whether your attackers knock out the common threats, and whether your Pokémon survive their strongest attacks. When a result is close, adjust the EV spread and try again.
Which items, abilities and moves should each Pokémon use?
Every Pokémon page shows its most used build in the current format (item, ability, nature and EVs, Tera type and moves, each with its share) and its Smogon sets. Start from one of them and change what your team needs.
VGC rules have long required each Pokémon to hold a different item (the Item Clause), so plan the items as a team and check your regulation's rules.
How do you take the team to the game?
Export to Showdown copies your team in the text format Pokémon Showdown reads. Paste it into Showdown's teambuilder to test the team in battles before you train it in the game.
PokemonBuilder does not connect to your console: to play the team on Nintendo Switch, enter the same sets in the game by hand. Keep the team saved here, or share it by link or image, to have every set at hand.
Frequently asked questions
Is PokemonBuilder free?
Yes. Every tool on the site is free and works in the browser, on a phone or a computer, with nothing to install. You can save teams without an account; an account keeps them across your devices.
Does it work on a phone?
Yes. The whole site works in a phone's browser, and it can be installed as an app from the browser menu.
Can I use it for the games on Nintendo Switch?
Yes, to plan the team: build and check it here, test it on Pokémon Showdown with the export, then enter the sets in the game by hand. The site does not connect to the console.
Where does the usage data come from?
From Smogon's monthly statistics of Pokémon Showdown battles, merged with results from Limitless tournaments for VGC. Tournament teams come from VGCPastes. The datasets are refreshed every day.
Is the site in Portuguese?
Yes. Every page exists in English and in Portuguese, and you can switch the language at any time.